CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Second arrest in West Seattle murder of Edixon Velasquez

(WSB photo from September 19th)

2:11 PM: Just announced by Seattle Police, a second arrest in connection with last month’s deadly shooting of Edixon Velasquez outside his home on 31st SW in Westwood:

A 19-year-old male was arrested this afternoon in Auburn by the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force. The suspect will be booked into the King County Jail after he has been interviewed by detectives. This remains an active and on-going investigation.

The first suspect arrested, Velasquez’s 21-year-old ex-girlfriend Anna Kasparova, remains jailed in lieu of $1,000,000 bail, charged with first-degree murder and scheduled for arraignment later this week. More to come…

3:06 PM: The task force is associated with the US Marshal’s Office, whose regional spokesperson tells us that investigators learned that the suspect “was associated with” a resident of an Auburn mobile-home park, and found him with others in the mobile home, then arrested him “without incident.” Still working to find out more.

21 Replies to "CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Second arrest in West Seattle murder of Edixon Velasquez"

  • Swede. October 4, 2017 (2:23 pm)

    Good work SPD!

  • JoB October 4, 2017 (2:50 pm)

    So glad to see this. 

  • Spokant October 4, 2017 (3:35 pm)

    Good lock both of these scum bags up for LIFE

  • Rick October 4, 2017 (4:19 pm)

    Are we looking at the death penalty here? 

    • Swede. October 4, 2017 (4:37 pm)

      That’s a bit premature since neither have seen a courtroom yet. 

      • WSB October 4, 2017 (5:12 pm)

        Kasparova actually has had one hearing, but that was just a bail hearing; as noted above, her arraignment is later this week. The newly arrested suspect was not on today’s bail-hearing calendar, according to the prosecuting attorney’s office, so I’m checking again tomorrow (he’s not on the jail register yet either).

    • The King October 4, 2017 (4:50 pm)

      The state set a precedent by letting Gary Ridgway weasel his way out of the death penalty. If they didn’t put him down, what does that tell you about the future of the death penalty in Washington. 

      • Mitch October 4, 2017 (6:20 pm)

        Governor Inslee announced a moratorium on capital punishment in 2014, and earlier this year he and Attorney General Ferguson introduced legislation to eliminate it all together. So, fortunately, the future does not look good for this barbaric and outrageously expensive form of ‘justice’.

        Also, Ridgway didn’t weasel out of anything. As Norm Maleng, King County Prosecutor at the time explained, sparing Ridgways life in exchange for confessing to 41 additional murders, all confirmed, provided a measure of closure for the families of those 41, who to this day would still not know the fates of their loved ones had this deal never been worked out. 

      • West Seattle Steve October 4, 2017 (6:59 pm)

        It costs millions of dollars to stage a death penalty case. There after only 2 counties in Washington state that have the resources, King, and Spokane(?).

        It’s far less expensive, and I believe a worse punishment to have life with no chance of parole.

        • The King October 4, 2017 (10:25 pm)

          Tell the families of the 80 victims that it would cost too much to prosecute him. Ridgway bartered his way out of the death sentence by telling authorities where some bodies were, years later tried to extort them by saying he would tell them where more bodies were if he got what he wanted. The guy is an oxygen thief who doesn’t deserve to live. 

          • Paul October 5, 2017 (8:45 am)

            @The King – Even one innocent person being killed for crimes they did not commit is enough reason to end the death penalty. This has nothing to do with money, that’s simply a cop out to try and bring conservatives along. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. 

          • Felix Grounds October 6, 2017 (9:46 am)

            Well, you are not The King, and society is deciding that capitol punishment is not a moral form of justice.

  • Spokant October 4, 2017 (5:38 pm)

    If the CJS works as it should, neither should see the light of day again. Only way one sees light of day is if they cut a deal with the prosecutor to turn state’s evidence against the other.

    If I was the prosecutor I don’t even consider a deal. Go after both for life without parole.

  • wscommuter October 4, 2017 (9:25 pm)

    @Spokant … with all due respect, you watch too much TV.  No prosecutor would deal away a murder charge against one defendant to get the other.  The real world doesn’t work that way (and yes – as a former prosecutor, I know what I’m talking about).  

    I’m with Mitch … the death penalty is wrong and ridiculously expensive and has zero deterrent value.  I’m glad we’re moving away from pursuing it.  I can also observe that this case would not have qualified for DP anyway – as awful as this murder was (a planned hit), it doesn’t rise to the level of a DP prosecution.  However, it is certainly possible this will be charged as Aggravated First Degree Homicide – which could result in life without release (there is no “parole” in WA – it was abolished in 1982 by the Sentencing Reform Act).  However, even if the prosecution is only for normal First Degree Homocide, the court will have the ability to impose a lengthy sentence (assuming conviction) for decades, effectively guaranteeing no release  or at least no release until these people are 70+ (and life expectancy for long prison sentences is not good).  My point being that convictions on these two individuals will likely put them away for life or life to a point of being harmless.  

    • Swede. October 4, 2017 (9:58 pm)

      Thanks for the info. Always good to hear from people that know how it works. 

      What will happen to her child though?

      • Local Resident October 5, 2017 (12:20 am)

        That should not be a consideration in a case like this.  This woman, for whatever reason, arranged a murder and was an active participant in it.  The fact that she has a child should not have any weight in the sentence she’s given.  She apparently didn’t give any thought to the welfare of her child when she decided to set up and participate in a cold blooded murder.  I really hope that there is a relative (preferably one that didn’t have anything to do with raising the mother) or foster/adoptive family that will give this child a good home, because the child obviously did not choose to have a murderer for a mother and deserves to have a good life.

      • JanS October 5, 2017 (12:24 am)

        Swede….I think (because I’m not sure) they would first pursue a family connection. If that doesn’t work, I would ASSume then placed in foster care. Don’t quote me, though.

        • Mollie October 6, 2017 (3:32 pm)

          There is a husband in this case. The child has a father.

          • WSB October 6, 2017 (4:02 pm)

            There are many places you can get married, of course, but FWIW there are no marriage records in King County files for anyone in this case.

  • Rick October 5, 2017 (7:50 am)

    Apologies. I should have asked if this asked if this “qualifies” for the death penalty as opposed to if it would automatically would be applied.  Better get my comment editor back on board.

  • ScubaFrog October 5, 2017 (11:59 am)

    Fantastic SDP, and thank you WSB for reporting.

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